German Black Forest Cake

On the topic of things that aren't practical to make yourself, making a cake is not always a piece of cake, cake walk, or what have you. The German name for my favorite cake--carrot cake or lemon cake are close seconds--is Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, literally Black Forest Cherry Cake. I tried it in Stuttgart, Germany and also in Aulac, New Brunwick and the one at the Schnitzelhaus (153 Aulac Rd, Transcanada Hwy 2) is pretty authentic. In fact, it's absolutely delicious and light! Bruno who owned a bakery in Germany for most of his life and now works as a pastry chef for Aramark told me that the cream and cake are infused with cherry juice (or was it liquor?) in true Black Forest Cake. Real Germans use sour cherries, which are widely available in European supermarkets, but less common than the sweet maraschino found in these parts.

To try the Schnitzelhaus' version of Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, you must order it in advance because it has been taken off their regular menu. Call 5063640888. The restaurant found is was not profitable to offer year-round because it was very time intensive and expensive to make and not enough people were ordering it. For that reason, a slice would have put you back $7.50 + tax back in the day. But for $39.55 now you have the whole cake, which works out to 15 delectable, individual cherry topped, pieces. Now that's geschmackvoll!